Editorial welcome

We cannot listen with authentic ears; we cannot know what it is like to be astonished by the daring of Monteverdi or Purcell, or to hear Mozart cleanly for the first time having never been exposed to Mahler. Music does not hold the same relevance or meaning in our lives and society as it did two or three hundred years ago, yet we still strive to produce so-called authentic performances.

The early music scene has expanded and grown enormously over the past 50 years, with the concept of historically informed performance practise (HIP) now extending to repertoire from the early 20th century. Take for example, ensembles such as Les Siècles, who perform Stravinsky, Debussy and Mahler on appropriate instruments. These musicians seek out exact replicas or even original instruments that are not only precise in when they would have been used historically, but also geographically.

Following the Techology Focus of our previous issue (Issue 5, Spring 2019), I found myself wondering to what extent the period instrument movement needs to keep up with technology in the digital age. Do performers embrace the advances or stubbornly resist them? We dip our toe into the subject and explore the bridge created between the two worlds through the fast-growing business of 3D printing, and its role in research and instrument production (p.13).

Cover star Emmanuelle Haïm speaks to Lindsay Kemp about her love for the drama of the theatrical French baroque music, and how she balances performing with her own ensemble with guest-conducting modern symphony orchestras (p.16). Fellow conductor Giovanni Antonini talks to Adrian Horsewood about all things Haydn and his 18-year project Haydn2032 (p.9).

Friendship and music making span generations, and it feels a great honour to have eavesdropped on a conversation between friends Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuel Pahud and Jonathan Manson during their recent chamber music tour (p.20). Finally, AH artists and managers dispel a few myths surrounding the ultimate in solo instrumental repertoire: the works of J S Bach (p.24).

Outside our theme, we catch up with both new and established members of the AH family: the spotlight falls on conductors Harry Ogg (p.28) and Marta Gardolińska (p.8), and long-standing member of our finance team Susana Tierney takes our Meet the Team quiz (p.29). The summer months are always busy for our touring department and this year is certainly no exception, with more than 90 performances over the next three months (p.30).

Music of the renaissance and baroque periods has always occupied a major part of my life, and it is with great pleasure that I share this enthusiasm in the latest edition of The Green Room – I hope you enjoy reading it!

About Fiona

Fiona studied recorder at the Guildhall School of Music and cornetto at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. She performed and recorded with many of the period instrument ensembles including the English Concert, The Sixteen, Concerto Palatino, La Fenice and the Gabrieli Consort and Players; appeared in productions at the Globe Theatre and toured worldwide with Les Ballets C de la B in VSPRS. Fiona is a now an amateur horn player, has trained as a falconer and has been at Askonas Holt since 2010.